The use of electromagnetic data for remote sensing of geological attributes of the atmosphere‐lithosphere interface introduces numerous statistical problems. For significant geological interpretation of remote‐sensor data in terms of the interface, a multivariate approach is necessary because of the large number of attributes that affect the total radiation. Interpretation of data will be much more difficult unless experiments can be designed to ensure that the several available sensors actually sense precisely the same population of samples simultaneously. Statistical study of twenty attributes of the surficial rocks at the NASA primary geological test site, Pisgah Crater, California, (a) illustrates the extreme variability of the interface and (b) demonstrates that, with present methods, correlation of information about the interface and the near‐surface geology may be misleading; these factors are a serious obstacle to many remote‐sensing experiments.
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